Moon
by Fedic
Summary: On the night of the full moon the travelers arrive in a village having a festival.


**Moon**

**1**

The troop headed north through the forests and over hills. The day might have got off to a bad start, but it didn't stay that way for long. The hanyou and the wolf demon led the group followed by Sango and Miroku. Kirara had joined Shippo on Kagome's bike as Kuwabara pushed it along. The feline demon had taken quite a shine to the big red head. Kuwabara talked to the friends from his own era as they walked on. The spirit warriors regaled them with a few embarrassing stories about Yusuke. Kouga even offered up a story about Ginta. They spent most of the afternoon talking about something called heavy metal. It took the feudal travelers a minute to understand why someone would listen to metal, but Kuwabara proclaimed it to be the _best freekin music on the planet! Whooooo!_

They had come a considerable distance before day decided it was time for her to turn and go. The sun was beginning to make its way toward the trees and it was time to start looking for a good place to camp for the night. Kouga assured Inu Yasha he knew where they were and that they would be coming to a shelter by the roadside before dark. The wolf demon then back peddled so that he was standing between Le and Kagome. He smiled at them both then fixed his eyes on Le. "So, you up for a race or are you still too beat up from yesterday?" he teased cocky.

"I could catch you even if I was half dead," Le returned grinning smugly.

"Keh, we'll see then," Kouga said. He broke into a run and Le instinctively took off after him.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Kuwabara screamed at Le's retreating back. Too late, they were gone.

"Don't worry about it," Kagome said smiling at the big guy. "I think they just like to race."

Miroku grinned and said in a hushed voice that only the woman beside him and the demon in front of him heard. "I think Kouga just likes Le chasing him."

Sango stifled a laugh in her hand. She spoke just as quietly, knowing the hanyou was listening as he looked at them from the corner of his eye. "When we found them last night I could have sworn that they were both blushing."

Miroku's eyebrows went up as his lecherous mind worked. "So they were flushed you say?"

Sango threw an elbow into the monk's side. "Must your mind always be in the gutter?" she growled.

Inu Yasha turned his eyes away from the two as they started to bicker about what a slob Miroku was. _Figures Miroku would think something like that. _ "Come on," Inu Yasha quipped impatiently. "There's a good spot up here to make camp for the night. Let's get there before it gets too dark and check it out."

**2**

Kouga raced along with Le steps behind him. He didn't have to turn to see that she was there, but he did steal an occasional glance at her from over his shoulder. She was smiling and that made the wolf demon happy. He could tell that she had been stressed since last night and probably felt like everyone was watching her. He thought she might like to get away from everyone for a while and he was right. He knew a place not far from here where the trees gave way to rolling hills. It would be a pretty view at sunset and Kouga thought that Le would like it. She had referred to herself as an _environmentalist_; the big red head had called her a tree hugger. Either way, Kouga took it to mean that she liked nature. He had noticed the way she took in the landscape as they traveled together.

He slowed them and brought them to a stop just as they broke through the trees. Le stood looking at the view with wide fascinated eyes .The shadowy rolling hills cradled the blazing orange sun as it set for the day. The sky above was purple and pink, darkening toward twilight. "Wow," she panted a little breathlessly.

Kouga smiled satisfied. "I thought a tree hugger like you would like the view," he teased resting a hand on his hip.

Le turned her head and looked at Kouga. She was glad that he seemed to be back to his normal aggravating self. His anger from this morning had vanished, and if he was worrying about last night, it certainly didn't show. "Tree hugger huh? Et tu Kouga?" she dramatizes Kouga didn't understand and the puzzled look on his face got her giggling.

Kouga waved a hand at her. "Keh, whatever," he said sitting in the grass. He stared off at the hills bathed in the last light of day. He didn't mind if she was picking on him, at least she seemed happy again.

Le stood where she was for a while watching the sun sink into the hills as a warm wind pulled the hair back from her brow. She had to admit that feudal Japan was beautiful. After a minute, she went to the wolf demon sitting quietly in the grass. She sat down a few feet away from him, not giving the distance between them a lot of thought. "Thanks for bringing me out here Kouga," Le said returning her eyes to the vista. "This is really pretty. I'm glad you thought to show it to me."

Kouga shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, well it looked like you needed to get away from those guys for a while." He turned to the spirit warrior and watched the wind tossed her hair. "I guess everybody got down on ya this morning huh?" he asked trying to use her words.

Le giggled again. "Came down on me. Getting down is something totally different." Her giggles gave way to laughter.

Kouga tried to look annoyed, but he felt like he wanted to laugh with her. "I was just trying to apologize for being a little pushy this morning."

"If that's a little, Id hate to see a lot," the spirit warrior said without thinking. Kouga had been quite angry this morning when she led Shippo off and he had been fairly quiet for most of the day.

Kouga was a little startled. _Did I look that mad? _He looked away from Le and up at the encroaching colors of twilight. "It just makes me mad that Kurama did that to you," the wolf said. When he thought about the marks on her arm and how roughly the fox must have grabbed her, Kouga felt himself getting angry all over again. "He's got no right to touch you, especially like that. You're not his woman anymore."

Now it was Le who startled. She had never heard such a bitter tone in Kouga's voice before. "He was stupid to think I was still with him…" Le began. She stopped when she realized she was just making excuses.

"Keh," Kouga grunted. "You're all done with that guy. He needs to just back off. If he doesn't, I'll beat his ass." It came out sounding very much like the threat it was meant to be, but there seemed to be something else underneath it.

Le was a bit surprised by Kouga's protective declaration, and a little embarrassed. "I can take care of Kurama myself." Le didn't want to think about him. Kuwabara had told her that Kurama was going to propose to her. Her life with Kurama seemed like a glass dream that that had fallen from the top shelf; smashing her heart to pieces. "Look, can we just not talk about Kurama?"

The wolf looked at her sidelong and saw that her smile was gone. "You shouldn't let him do that," Kouga said frowning.

Le looked at Kouga. "If he ever touches me again, I'll thump his ass," she said trying to sound tougher then she felt at this moment.

"I don't mean that. He should be beaten for what he did to you anyway. If he were one of my men, I'd hide him, but that's not what I'm talking about." Kouga turned his head so that he could look at her better. "You shouldn't let him steal your smile. That's what I meant."

"Steal…my smile?" she spoke softly.

"I brought you here because I thought it would make you happy. I thought it did. You _were_ smiling. Until I brought up that damn fox," Kouga said looking away again. "Sorry, I guess it's my fault. I won't talk about him anymore to you if that is your wish."

_What's with him? _Le had never seen the wolf demon so empathetic to her. Her mind showed her a picture of the two of them in the forest the night before and she blushed a little. _Is that why? Oh crap, he doesn't think that there's something going on between us does he? _Though Kouga's lips had admittedly been sweet and comforting, Le was well aware that she and Kouga could never be. Neither Lord Koinma nor Yusuke Urameshi would ever allow her to take a demon as a consort for one thing, and they were from two different eras for another. "Oh boy," she sighed under her breath.

Kouga lifted a suspicious brow. In the failing light of day he could see that the spirit warrior was blushing. "What's with you?" he asked bluntly.

"Nothing," she said averting her eyes.

"Then why are you blushing?"

Le froze for a minute as Kouga turned to look at her. The wolf demon held her eyes, entranced by his own. "I'm not blushing," she lied. "I'm just hot from running."

Kouga's teasing nature alerted him of another opportunity to fluster the woman, but he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to. He had spent a good part of the day trying to rationalize away the kiss they shared the night before and had come up with all sorts of excuses; her blood scent drove him to it, or maybe he was just trying to comfort her because she went a little crazy… The wolf demon's lips curled into his familiar cocky smile. "I think you're blushing because we're alone like this," Kouga teased giving in to his aggravating nature. "So you wanna kiss me again or what?"

Le's mouth fell open forming a little o of surprise. "What?" she gasped feeling the blood rush to her face. "No! Are you crazy or something?"

Kouga stroked his chin and did a good job of looking smug. "Gee, I couldn't have been that bad," he seemed to ask himself. "Maybe you're just afraid you'll fall in love with me if you do." The wolf demon faced the spirit warrior and found himself cracked up by the wild look on her face. Kouga broke into howls of laughter slapping his knee. "That look! You should see the look on your face!"

Le's embarrassment instantly melted into annoyance. She barred her teeth trying to control her anger as the wolf demon went into hysterics beside her. "You're such an ass," she growled. "Besides, the way I remember it, it was you kissing me."

Kouga brought himself under control and lay back in the grass to look at the sky. "Yeah, I guess it was," he admitted grinning. "Still haven't figured out why exactly. Probably because you were hysterical. Had to do something to get your attention."

Le scowled and looked away from Kouga. "You make a habit of kissing hysterical women, wolf?"

Kouga thought he heard something in Le's voice that sounded like jealousy. His grin broadened. "Naw, you're a special case." The wolf demon waited for the woman to settle down a little and then he rolled over on his side and faced her. "It was the smell of your blood wasn't it? It messed with my mind, didn't it?"

Le settled down as Kouga returned to his good senses. "I guess so. I know it my blood can have that kind of effect on demons." It sounded plausible, better then looking for a deeper meaning behind their kiss. Kouga seemed to be making light of the situation and Le decided to follow suit. It would be better for everyone if they could just stay pals. "I guess I was a little whacked out myself. I defiantly shouldn't have mixed up those pills."

"That's what made you all crazy?" he asked knowing it was more then medicine that had unraveled her nerves. The spirit warrior seemed to be under a lot of stress, mostly because of that damn kitsune. Kouga thought about punching Kurama in the kisser and smiled to himself.

Le sighed. "I suppose." She sat quiet for a moment feeling the wolf demon's curious eyes on her. "It was an accident," she said finally.

Kouga could tell that Le clearly wanted him to accept this line of reasoning as the truth; he could hear it in her voice. "Yeah, sure," he agreed sitting up again.

Le didn't look at the wolf demon right away, she was too nervous. Kouga seemed to buy the story they had both made up, but Le wasn't so sure. _It's because I was all upset that's all. Neither of us was thinking clearly…. _For a moment she could recall the way he had laced their fingers together as he held her hand. Le pushed the confusing thoughts away and stood up. "We getter bet back before Kuwabara has a fit."

Kouga grinned up at her. "Your friend doesn't seem to trust me around you. See, he already knows you're madly in love with me. He's probably scared I'll take advantage."

Le put her hands on her hips and favored the demon with a sarcastic smile. "I'm sure," she said and rolled her eyes.

Kouga leapt to his feet feeling lighter now that he and the spirit warrior had agreed to put the awkward incident behind them. _It wasn't that bad though… was it? It was…kinda nice… _"Alright, let's get you back before the big guy has a heart attack" Kouga played along. He stood looking down at Le for a moment trying not to notice how lovely she looked in the blossoming twilight or how strong her scent was standing so close to her. _She's like one of those flowers that only open in the moonlight…_

Le took one last look around and was ready to go. "Lead the way," she said. Kouga nodded and took off with Le in tow.

**3**

As the days passed, their search for the Kojiki Dagger had led them north into the foothills. The females of their entourage trailed behind talking amongst themselves leaving the guys lumped together ahead of them. Sango watched Miroku carefully. She knew it wasn't such a good idea to tease Kouga about Le in front of Kuwabara, but she wondered if he could hold his tongue. She saw Kuwabara give him a not so playful smack in the head once and Kouga glare at him a few times. "He just can't keep his mind out of the gutter," she grumbled.

Kagome instantly knew her friend meant the monk and agreed. "Miroku has a pretty wild imagination."

"Humph," Sango sighed heavily. "He spends far too much time worrying about charming the ladies."

Kagome and Le exchanged a quick smile. "That's Miroku alright," Kagome agreed.

Miroku was able to convince Kouga to adjust their course slightly in the late afternoon, and they weren't surprised to see a village on the river by sun down. Songo favored Miroku with cat eyes. "Lemme guess. You sense an evil presence here right?"

Shippo hopped down from Kagome's bike and took a few bounds toward the village. His eyes grew wide with delight. "Hey look everybody! They're having a festival!" His child eyes sparkled with glee.

They lined up by Shippo looking down at the village. It was nestled in a shallow valley beside a wide stretch of river. A series of boardwalks connected the village to the river and across it. On the bridges colorful paper lanterns turned in the wind. "It certainly looks as though they're celebrating something," Miroku said, placing a hand thoughtfully on his chin. "Perhaps they would enjoy having a fortune teller among then."

Songo looked annoyed. "You mean the girls don't you lecher."

Miroku laughed uneasy and backed up a step. "I was just saying that it looks as though there's money to be made in this village after all."

"So, like wow," Kuwabara gaped. "This is some ancient festival or something right?"

"Let's go check it out!" Kagome chirped. "I bet it will be fun!" She and Shippo put in gear and got going down the road. Le caught up to them and Kuwabara joined them, pushing the bike along faster.

Kouga cut his eyes over to the hanyou. "You want _me_ to go down into that _human _village?" he crinkled his nose warily.

Inuyasha glared at him. "Stand here all night if ya wanna then. Like I care." He turned and followed Kagome.

"Don't worry about it Kouga," Miroku spoke to his left. As long as you're with us the people should be okay with you there. Besides festivals are a lot of fun."

"Maybe you could even learn to see humans as something other then prey," the demon slayer in Songo spoke up. She didn't look at Kouga or Miroku; just fell in step behind the others.

Kouga narrowed his eyes at her. Miroku placed a hand on Kouga's shoulder. "Come on Kouga. It will be fine."

Begrudgingly, Kouga went.

**4**

The natives were celebrating a wedding. The villagers two most beloved family's would become one with the marriage of ones daughter and the others son. The place thrived with life and light. Paper lanterns illuminated the village as dusk gave way to twilight. The girls were accosted the moment they came into town by a gaggle of old women who wanted to see them "dressed proper". No matter how many times Songo tried to explain to the old hens that they were_ not _family from out of town, they just kept shoving them toward a hut to their right. "Might as well just let it go Songo," Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes. She giggled as the old crones whisked them away to get changed into something for the festival.

Kouga eyed this behavior suspiciously. He leaned toward Inuyasha. "Should we kill them?" he nodded to the grannies ushering the females of their group away.

Inuyasha gave him his best disgusted look. "What are you stupid? We don't kill little old ladies!"

Kouga looked at him defensively. "Well you just let them take our women!"

"Don't worry Kouga," Shippo piped up from his place beside Kuwabara's huge feet. "Those little old ladies are going to take Songo and Kagome and Le away and get them dressed all pretty for the festival." His face nearly glowing with excitement. "I bet they'll all have beautiful kimonos and their hair will be all pretty and..."

"That's enough already Shippo he gets the point!"

Shippo scowled at Inuyasha. "You're just all tensed up cuz yer gonna see Kagome lookin all pretty and yer gonna blush."

Inuyasha's jaw dropped. Miroku tittered nervous laughter and Kouga flat out rolled at the kid's commentary. Kuwabara watched them with interest. Inuyasha snapped his head toward them. "Hey! Shut up!" He yanked Shippo up by the tail and held him at eye level. "Why you little," Inuyasha was furiously embarrassed. "I outta."

"Aww, leave the little rodent alone, dog shit," Kouga snickered.

"Aww, fuck you too flea bag." Inuyasha dropped Shippo and headed in the general direction the old hags had gone, cheeks flaming. _That little shit head!_

Miroku heaved a pleasant sigh. "Alright then, shall we have a look around why we wait for our ladies to be returned to us?"

The wolf demon was still hanging back. "I dunno about this."

"It will be fine," Miroku assured. He followed Kuwabara into town with Kouga by his side.

**5**

Kouga followed Miroku in silence, eyes darting from left to right. He kept quiet as Miroku spoke to some young woman. Before they parted company, Miroku had asked her to bare him a child. Kouga was too stunned to speak. As they made their way thru the crowds of people to the village square, Kouga counted _six more_ ladies Miroku asked to bear him a child. The three sat at a table that could easily accommodate their full party and watched the festivities begin. There were no villagers within earshot so Kouga felt comfortable enough to speak. "What the _hell _is wrong with you Miroku?"

Miroku startled. "What?" he seemed genuinely surprised.

Kuwabara adjusted himself in his seat to watch the exchange between the two. The wolf demon seemed bothered. The big red head wasn't entirely sure what was going on. He must have missed something while gawking at the 'ancient festival' which really didn't look like all that much to him.

Kouga frowned at the monk. "How are you going to mate with _all _of those women you spoke to today?"

Miroku chuckled lightly. "Well, it wouldn't be that difficult I suppose really. So long as I could have breaks in between."

Kouga looked at him disgusted and shocked. "You should be ashamed of yourself monk, and not just because you're supposed to be some holy man."

Miroku sighed. "But the curse of the Kazzana," he began.

Kouga lifted a hand and silenced Miroku. Across the square the newly married bride and groom emerged from somewhere and there were cries of joy. "You should be more ashamed of yourself for what you put that girl Songo through."

"Sango?" Kuwabara questioned. _Now this is getting interesting. _

Miroku faced the wolf demon. "What do you mean Kouga?"

"I just wondered if you ever stopped to think about how Songo feels every time she hears you ask some other woman to spread her legs."

Kuwabara was stunned silent by the wolf demons direct scolding. He felt his cheeks turn red, embarrassed for the monk. _Talk about just coming right out and saying what's on your mind. _

Kouga's words hit Miroku like a slap. "I… of course I think of Songo… I," he stammered. He had never thought of it quite that way, but the wolf demon was quite right. _Songo… Does she really think that's how it is? _

"Wolves mate for life pal. Maybe you humans could take a lesson from _us._"

Miroku sat shamed feeling the sweat trickle down his back. "Surely Songo doesn't think… She understands the Kazzana."

"She means to kill Naraku ya idiot hoshi! That will end yer damn curse. The only thing lying with a woman is gonna get you is laid. Songo is trying to _help_ you." Kouga blew through his teeth. "You humans are so stupid." He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

Kuwabara bounced his gaze from the disgruntled demon to the flustered monk. Kagome and Le had told enough about Sango and Miroku to know they had feelings for each other. Hell, he could see that on his own. And here was the wolf demon again reaffirming his belief in taking only one mate for life. "One woman is all I need. Yukina's the one for me," Kuwabara said letting his mind wander off.

Miroku watched the bride and groom move within a circle of friends and family. _Would I really curse a child with something as horrible as the Kazzana? Maybe not, but I could never leave Songo with such a heavy burden. _ He fell into silence, sulking in his thoughts and waited for the others to find them.

**6**

Inuyasha stood adjacent to the hut the old women had herded the females of his group into. Down the center street of the village, Shippo had joined some of the local kids in a hoot and holler game of tag. Though Inuyasha was still annoyed at the little kitsune for embarrassing him, a smile played at his lips. Even though Shippo was a demon, he was still just a child. It made the hanyou happy to see the human children accept Shippo into their play. _Enjoy it while you can, little guy. _ Inuyasha's ears heard the door do the hut push open and he turned his attention that way. Songo backed out first wearing a pink kimono with a a bright yellow obe. Le ducked past Songo, a blur of dark green, to escape the old ladies still trying to adjust the pins they had put her hair up with. They both looked as if they had about enough of the old hags fussing for one day. Inuyasha smiled amused. From behind them, Kagome came out into the air of twilight. She was a vision of loveliness, all in white. Inuyasha stared. "Kagome…" he tasted her name on his lips. Kagome spotted him and lifted her hand in a wave. He waved back dreamily. _Get it together dumbass. _He cut his eyes away from Kagome. _It's just Kagome. And there's nothing between us. _

Kagome side stepped her girl friends and went to Inuyasha smiling. "Isn't this a pretty kimono Inuyasha?" She turned a little circle on front of him. "The wedding party is right in the village square." Her eyes sparkled in the light of the festive lanterns.

Sango and Le came up behind Kagome. "Where are the others?" Sango asked the hanyou. _I'm sure Miroku is out letching it up._

"Miroku, Kuwabara and Kouga went to the village square. Shippo is off playin with some kids." He looked down the street to where Shippo had been a moment before, but he was gone now. Inuyasha could hear his laughter mingled with others from somewhere behind a row of homes.

"I don't like these things in my hair," Le fussed with the pins tightly holding her hair in two buns to her head. "I'll probably stab myself in the head with these things."

Kagome giggled. "You'll be fine. It looks good."

Le dropped her hands to her side. "If you say so, Kagome." She liked Kagome. The girl had a big heart and a free spirit that Le admired. _Kind to a fault is Kagome. _

"Let's head to the square," Sango broached. "We should discuss our trip upriver. Maybe we can get a boat to take us north."

Inuyasha nodded. "That might not be such a bad idea. It would save a lot of time." He turned in the direction the others had gone a short time ago. He talked as he walked. "We could cut our journey down by a day or maybe even two if we can get one of the locals to take us up the river."

"There will be lots of people at the party. Maybe we should ask around." Sango said adjusting the strap of her Hiraikotsu.

"I will," Kagome volunteered.

Inuyasha glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of Kagome talking with other men looking as beautiful as she did tonight. He faced forward again. "Be my guest," he replied sulkily. A moment later they entered the village square and Inuyasha spotted the guys seated at a shadowy table in the back. The party was about to get going. Ladies rushed about carrying steaming bowls and platters of food. A quartet of musicians was settling in to begin playing. Inuyasha steered them around the clusters of villagers standing between them and went to the table. He took a seat and the girls followed suit.

Miroku watched Sango as she came and sat down next to him. _She looks beautiful. _"I see the old crones did a beautiful job. You look lovely Sango."

Sango sat down, blushing a little. "Thank you Miroku." She was surprised the monk wasn't out circulating amongst the town's young women. Kirara rubbed at Sango's ankles and she bent instinctively to give her friend a scratch behind the ears. "What do you guys think of taking a boat up river?"

Kouga wasn't paying attention to what Songo was saying. His eyes had fixed on Le the moment he had saw her from his seat in the shadows across the village square. She took the seat between him and Kuwabara. He wasn't sure he liked the way the crones had put up her hair and she seemed irritated by it herself. He had noticed her fiddling with the pins twice just walking over to them. Then Kouga realized with a smile what was bothering him about it. _She hates conformity. She hates to be somebody's doll. _He had heard Sango speak, but not what she said. He pulled his eyes from Le and looked at the demon slayer. "Huh?"

Now that everyone was seated and she had their attention, Sango spoke again. "Well, this is a fishing village. Maybe we can get someone to ferry us upriver. It could save a lot of time not having to walk all the way up to the mountain."

"It's a good idea," Miroku answered. "We should try to reach the shrine as soon as possible. Seeing as how Yora was attacking wolf demons, there's no telling if Naraku has heard of the dagger or if he has sent one of his demons after it yet. I think we should try to get there as quickly as we can."

"Then we'll ask around and see if we can find someone to take us in the morning," Kagome sounded hopeful. She wanted this bit of business over so that she could go enjoy the party. The musicians had begun to play something reedy and uplifting. She felt her mood brighten further. The smells of a dozen yummy dishes wafted over to their table.

Kouga crinkled his nose. Being in a human village was one thing. At least here he could just step out and go back to the forest. He suspected he would do so before long anyway. _But on a boat I'll be stuck with humans for hours._ "I dunno about this," he grumbled.

"Great then its all settled," Kagome chirped ignoring the wolf demons reluctance. "We'll find someone to take us upriver in the morning and tonight we'll have some fun!" She stood up grinning at her friends. "I smell something reallllly good. Lets eat!"

"Thank the gods," Kuwabara said getting to his feet. "I'm starving and I smell meat!"

**7**

There was drinking and dancing and feasting in the village square. With the exception of Shippo, they all had a fare share of sake or shochu that evening. After they ate some of the most exquisite cuisine Kagome had ever had, she and Le circulated trying to find someone with a boat. Inuyasha had eaten a lot and the first wave of sleepiness stole over him. He yawned and stretched. _Why is everyone being so damn quiet? _ He swept his eyes around at his companions. Kouga looked uneasy. He was watching Le and Kagome intently. Miroku sat staring into his sake. He wore a face of deep concentration. Sango sat watching the dancing with Kirara in her lap, absentmindedly stroking the cat to sleep. Kuwabara had already downed two platters of food and was still working on a third. Shippo had showed up just in time to eat. He had scarfed down a few dishes and then run off with his new found friends. They were currently mixed in with the various dancing villagers. Inuyasha finished his cup of sake. "You guys are awful quiet aren't you? How come you're not out there telling fortunes Miroku?" his tone was flip as usual.

Miroku finished his drink in one gulp and poured another. He noticed that Sango had stopped petting Kirara. _She's listening. Maybe she does care more then I realized. _"It seems inappropriate at such an occasion."

Inuyasha looked at him bewildered. "I thought a wedding was a perfect place to hit on girls. The whole towns here Miroku. I thought you'd be out chasing the village maidens."

Miroku frowned. Now Sango was looking at him, so were Kuwabara and Kouga. _Okay, so maybe Kouga was right. _He tried to keep his voice cool and even. "I guess I just didn't feel up to it tonight Inuyasha."

The look on Miroku's face was enough to tell Inuyasha to drop it. Sango looked away, confused. _That's not like Miroku at all. Is he sick or something. _Sango stood holding Kirara in the crook of her arm. Kirara yawned looking up into the demon slayers face. "I'll go see how Kagome and Le are making out with finding us a ride." She walked away without looking back.

Kouga leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest. He watched Sango join Kagome and Le near a cluster of people. The smells here were getting to him. Cooked food might smell good to humans, but some of it was downright foul to wolf demons. The smell of sweating humans reached his nose even back here away from the crowd. He wanted to stay, wanted to watch Le maybe, but he wanted to get out of here too. "You guys can handle getting a boat and all right?"

"You going somewhere Kouga," Inuyasha asked pouring himself some more sake.

"This place reeks. I need to get outta here. I don't know how you put up with it dog shit."

Inuyasha drank. "Fine, go then. We're staying at the inn by the river. One of the old hags arranged it for us. You can meet us there in the morning if that will work better for you."

Kouga stood up and looked at the hanyou. "I think I'll go scope out the edge of town. Maybe I'll come back later." He lifted his eyes and looked again at Le. The girls were all bent over talking to an elderly gentleman. "Just yell if you need me." Kouga stepped back into the shadows and was gone.

Kuwabara washed down a mouthful of rice with a big swig of sake. "What's with him?"

"Guess he doesn't care for our company much," Miroku grumbled.

Inuyasha focused his attention on the monk. "What's wrong with you tonight Miroku?" The monk had been unusually quiet tonight and hadn't even bothered with any of the villages young ladies. "You aren't acting like yourself."

Miroku looked up from his drink. "Inuyasha," he started, but then the words died on his lips. He thought he could talk to Inuyasha about what he was feeling, but it was hard to find the words. "Do you suppose Sango likes me?" It sounded weak and Miroku's hope for sounding confident floundered.

Inuyasha gave him a funny look. "Sure she likes you, when you're not being a lecher. Is there… something going on with you and Sango?"

"Do you think there is?" Miroku sounded more then just curious. "Do you think that there is something between me and Sango?"

Inuyasha looked surprised. _He's all bent outta shape over Sango? But they've been getting along fine._ "I don't get you Miroku. You and Sango are getting along fine."

"That's not what I mean Inuyasha." Miroku dropped his eyes and finished his sake. "What I mean is can you see me and Sango… together."

Inuyasha took what Miroku said at worst value. "That's sick Miroku!"

Miroku sighed, frustrated. "That's not what I mean either. I swear Inuyasha; sometimes you're such a simpleton."

Inuyasha drew back. _Simpleton huh?_ He scowled at Miroku. "What Miroku, you askin if she's in _love _with you or something?"

Miroku looked into Inuyasha's face. "I guess I am. You see, Kouga said something to me tonight that was… well, let's just say it made me think."

"What could that flea bag have possibly said to make _anyone_ think?" Inuyasha was still disgruntled at being called a simpleton.

"Do you think it bothers Sango to hear me ask women to bear me a child?"

Inuyasha cat eyed Miroku. "Duh."

"Not just makes her angry Inuyasha. Do you think it… hurts her feelings?"

Inuyasha refreshed his cup of sake. "Yeah, I guess it probably does. I think she likes you _a lot _Miroku. But yer such a damn lecher you blow any chance you got with her." He tipped his cup to his lips and sipped some more of the bitter brew.

Miroku sat looking at his empty cup for a moment then filled it lost in thought. _I do keep blowing it with Sango. How many times have I ruined a perfectly good moment by grabbing her ass? _He stared down at his traitorous hands. "It's a miracle she doesn't hate me."

"I'm sure sometimes she does."

Miroku sighed and sipped his drink. Before he could converse on the subject any further, the ladies returned to the table. Songo took her seat, Kagome and Le stood behind Inuyasha. "Did you manage to find us passage?" Miroku asked, wanting his mind someplace else.

"Yep, we're all set," Kagome said triumphantly. "The guy will meet us on the dock in the morning."

Le noticed Kouga's seat was empty. "Where did Kouga go?"

"He'll be hangin round the edge of town in the woods somewhere I suppose," Inuyasha guessed. "He had enough of village life for one night I think."

Le wiggled one of the pins in her hair. "Maybe I'll go look for him. Let him know we got the boat." The truth was she just wanted to get away somewhere and try to get the pins out of her hair without impaling her head. She didn't want to do it with the old crones still roaming around in case one of them wanted to fix it for her. _I'll throw these damn things in the river!_

"Inuyasha, why don't you help me find Shippo," Kagome suggested. "He ran off with a bunch of kids and its getting kind of late. If we're going to leave early, we should get to bed soon. The party is about over now anyway."

Kuwabara finally abandon his plate. "I'll look too," he said getting up. He wasn't too stupid to see that the girls were trying to get Sango and Miroku alone, and the big guy thought a talk would do the two of them some good. "I'll take this side," he said staggering a little as he walked away.

Le watched Kuwabara for a moment with a smile on her lips. "I'll go look around for Kouga," Le said and took her leave quickly. She headed toward the water, fully intending to throw the 'chop sticks' in her hair into the river and be done with the bastardly things.

Inuyasha finished his drink and stood up beside Kagome. "Alright, let's go find Shippo. I'm sure it's about bed time for his little friends now anyway." He looked down into Kagome's smiling face and was once again distracted by her beauty.

"I guess we'll meet you back at the inn," Sango directed at Kagome. Kirara was on her lap again. The demon slayer was having some sake.

"Okay, we'll see you guys in a little bit," Kagome said brightly. She led Inuyasha away from the table and they weaved around a cluster of people before disappearing behind a row of shops.

Sango sipped her drink watching Miroku from the corner of her eye. "Are you alright Miroku? You don't seem yourself tonight."

The monk was staring miserably into his cup of sake. "What's that supposed to mean," he grumbled. Miroku finished what was in his cup and poured himself some more. Usually this much sake tended to put him in a jovial mood, but he didn't feel that way at all tonight.

Sango faced the monk frowning. "You've been sitting here all night brooding over your sake and sighing to yourself. Obviously something is bothering you."

Miroku looked up at Sango suddenly aware that she had kept her eye on him all night. "Well, there is something," Miroku sighed. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed or what exactly to tell her. He saw her frown vanish, replaced by a look of concern. Her kind eyes had a way of making Miroku feel guilty and he looked back down into his drink. "Kouga said something to me earlier that got me thinking."

"Kouga? What did he say?" she asked. _What could that demon have said to Miroku to put him in such a state? He looks miserable._

Miroku took a small sip of his sake. "It doesn't really matter. What is said between men should stay between men. Let's just say I got his point."

For the first time tonight, Sango felt irritated with the monk. "Oh yeah, so what was his point then?"

Miroku smiled sadly despite himself. He loved to hear the sound of Sango's aggravated voice. His smile did not stay though and Miroku sighed. "His point was how terribly I treat you Sango."

The demon slayer was taken aback. "What?" _What does Kouga mean by that? Miroku doesn't treat me badly…_ "What are you talking about?"

Miroku set his cup on the table. He sat quietly staring at the brew. He could feel its effects; the world had taken on a slightly tilted perspective. "I'm such a bastard," it was a heavy sigh.

Sango was shocked. She had never seen Miroku quite like this and it worried her. She leaned in closer to the monk wanting him to look at her. "What are you saying Miroku? What is wrong with you?"

Miroku turned his head toward her. Her face was closer to his now that she had leaned over. Miroku stared into Sango's eyes and reached for her hand. She was clearly surprised he had taken her hand and not reached for her ass. "Sango," Miroku spoke softly, "do you like me?"

Her cheeks were instantly burning. _What is he doing? What is he asking me? _"Of course I like you Miroku, we're commerads," she said trying to sound less flustered then she felt.

The monk shook his head a little. "That's not what I mean. I mean," Miroku pulled the hand he held to his chest, over his heart pulling Sango closer to him as he did so. "I mean, do you love me Sango?"

Sango was quite sure her entire face was red now. For a moment she was too shocked to speak. "Mi...roku…"

Miroku leaned in closer to Sango. _It's now or never_. _I'll kiss her and see if…_Sango stood up abruptly, dumping Kirara into Miroku's lap. He snapped his startled gaze up at the blushing demon slayer. She was reaching for her Hiraikotsu. "Sango?" Miroku was puzzled.

"You should sleep it off monk," she said flustered. She shouldered her weapon and turned away from Miroku quickly. "It's late and we have to leave early." With that said, Sango walked away leaving a baffled Kirara looking after her.

Miroku blinked down at Kirara. "Did I do something wrong? She didn't hit me…" Kirara mewed up at the monk. Miroku watched Sango disappear into the shadows cast by the light of the full moon. He finished his drink and stood with Kirara in the crook of his arm. The world tilted just a little more when he stood up. Miroku staggered off to bed.

**8**

Le made for the bridge closest to the end of town. She figured that there would be no one there this late, and she was right. She looked around as she walked on to the bridge and confirmed that she was indeed alone. "Arg, finally," she grumbled. She leaned up against the railing facing town, just in case someone decided to come this way. She brought her right hand up and grabbed one of the pins holding her hair up in "fun buns". She gave it a good yank, but it didn't come out. It pulled instead. "Ow!" she hissed leaning over the rail a bit. _Oh this bitch is takin a swim._ She pulled again, this time not so hard. "Ow damnit," she cussed when again it pulled her hair, but refused to come out. She pulled again, lightly this time. It moved some, but pulled none the less. "Ow!"

"What are you doing to yourself?" Kouga asked from behind her on the bridge. He had spotted her from a tree by the river he had been lounging in and decided to come down and talk to her now that she was away from the crowds of villagers. He had moved with his usual stealth, but hadn't really attempted to be that quiet. _She didn't even here me. _

Le startled. She straightened and spun around to face Kouga. "Kouga… I didn't even here you…" she dropped her eyes away from his. _Holy shit, if Yusuke knew I let someone sneak up on me cuz I was fuckin with my _hair_ he'd kick my ass. _"I was just…" her cheeks reddened. "If you were a bad guy I guess I'd be in trouble huh?"

He raised a brow at her. "How do you know I'm _not_ a bad guy? I am an evil demon after all."

She looked up at him a little surprised and he flashed her his cocky smile. After a minute she smiled back. She couldn't help it. "Yer not evil Kouga, yer just an ass." She rested her fists on her hips to emphasize her point.

"Where's everybody else?" Kouga asked checking back the way she had come.

"Kagome and Inuyasha went looking for Shippo, Kuwabara too. It looked like Miroku needed to talk to Sango alone."

Kouga blew disgustedly through his teeth. "That guy's still worked up over what I said to him earlier."

Le frowned a little. "What did you say to Miroku?"

"I told him he was a loser for the way he treats that Sango woman. Every time he meets a new woman he asks her to spread her legs. He's disgusting. That's no way to treat a woman."

Le shifted her stance. Her legs were just a little wobbly. The sake had been stronger then she thought it was when she had been drinking it. "So you hold women in much higher regard then I take it?"

Kouga looked her up and down trying to decide if she was being serious or not. It was hard to take her seriously with her hair stuck up all funny like that. "Yeah, I do. You don't know much about wolves do you?" Kouga sounded cocky. He had kept up with the monk drink for drink for a little while. Surely such a weak mortal brew couldn't have much of an effect on him, yet he felt downright _giddy. _He could feel the giggles bubbling in his stomach waiting to come out.

Perhaps she was a little tipsy from the sake and Le took up Kouga's challenge. "Oh ya think so Charlie Brown? Well, let me tell you a thing or two pal. I went to _college._" She pointed an unsteady finger at him sliding her feet further apart and widening her stance.

Kouga didn't know who Charlie Brown was or where this college place might be, but he was pleased to see that the spirit warrior looked like she was about to tell him off. Kouga grinned like a shark. "What ya gonna tell me woman?"

Le lifted her chin a little, snubbing the wolf demon. "Wolves are intelligent, highly social creatures. They live in packs that are like family units. The alpha male and female have most of the cubs and the rest of the pack, epically the aunts, take care of the cubs. A pack can travel about forty miles a day, but usually stick within the same one hundred mile territory."

Kouga put a hand up to stop her for a minute. He had been expecting some sort of debate; he hadn't actually considered she might know something about his kind. "Hold on a minute, how do you know all of this stuff?"

Le smiled smugly, bringing her hands up to try to remove the pins in her hair again. "I said I went to college. That and I watched a lot of documentary's on TLC. I remember this one where they followed a pack for two years. The omega wolf died and up to a year later the rest of the pack would go and sit where she died and howl. It was… so sad."

Kouga noticed Le's mood sink. He was impressed with her apparent empathy toward the pack she had observed. "Did you find a boat?" he asked wanting to break the silence.

"The boat is all set for in the morning and …Ow bitch!" She almost had a pin free when it locked up in her hair and threatened to pull a good chunk out right by the root.

"Stop that," Kouga said stepping closer to her. "I'll get them out, just let me see."

Le looked at him hesitantly for a minute. "I think they're stuck. It pulls bad!"

He fixed her with a stern look and rested a fist on his hip. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm the guy that keeps you from pulling your hair out, remember? Do you want those things out or not?"

She frowned, bit her bottom lip, and then dropped her hands to her side. She lowered her head and bent toward Kouga feeling the world sway a little. "If you pull my hair I'm gonna pinch you, got it," she mumbled.

Kouga chuckled. "Of course you are." He was a only a little nervous as he lifted his hands and he freed the pins one by one with hardly a tug. "You can't force it," he said as half of her hair fell free and dropped over her shoulder. "The trick is, to take your time and be gentle." He pulled the last pin free and her hair unfurled down her other shoulder. He held out the pins to her and she took them.

"Thank you Kouga," she said sounding relived. She turned a half circle and dropped the pins into the river. "Never again," she said with a touch of hate. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook it out. "That's so much better," she sighed as she turned to face the wolf demon.

Kouga was watching quietly fascinated. He had never seen her with her hair down like this. He knew it was long, but he was amazed by its beauty. He could smell the stuff she used to wash it with earlier that morning. She smelled like flowers… and her scent was strong standing alone with her here. "Your hair is really pretty," his own voice sounded far away in his ears. He reached over to her and took a long slip of her hair in his hand. It was silky to the touch and lustrous in the moon light.

Le blushed a little when Kouga took her hair in his hand. "I usually don't let it down like this. It gets caught in stuff," she spoke quickly. There was something about Kouga in the moonlight. Something about his eyes.

He lifted the hair he held up to his face and leaned into it. He held it to his nose for a minute and closed his eyes. He breathed in deeply. _Her scent is the same. _

Le looked up at Kouga wide eyed and fiercely blushing. "Uh…Kouga?" _What is he doing? Is he…smelling me?_

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. He lowered his hand and reluctantly let go of her smooth hair. His heart sped up a beat when he saw the way she was blushing. He dropped his eyes to escape her gaze but that didn't help matters either because now he was staring at her chest. He looked back up into her eyes and saw she was even more flushed then before. "Your scent is the same," he said quietly, almost to himself.

Le was feeling flustered. Kouga was standing quite close and staring down into her eyes. In the moon light his eyes had a preternatural glow she found beautiful. "What?" she had lowered her voice as well, though she had no idea why. The truth was she was loosing herself in Kouga's blue eyes.

He swallowed hard. Her scent carried on the light breeze. "It's the same here as it was when you were with me in my world. Your scent." He stepped closer to her so that they were only inches apart. "You said that things are different here then they are there, but some things are the same aren't they?"

She thought of how Kouga had been in his own world. _No different then he is here now._ She thought of the unexpected kiss they had shared the night Kagura had attacked them. _I thought we had all of this straightened out_. _Just what is it he's asking? _ "It is different Kouga. That place is…"

He looked at her intently. "Your scent is the same here as it was there Le."

_He was smelling me. _"Kouga…"

His heart was pounding harder in his chest. He stood staring down into Le's eyes. He could see the full moon reflected in their darkness. They had agreed that it had been the smell of Le's blood in the air that had provoked him into kissing her, but as he stood here with her now Kouga wasn't sure that was entirely the truth. Her scent had interested him when they first met, but he generally kept his distance because of the fox. Once the wolf demon had spent some time around her, he had come to find her scent pleasant and alluring, just as it was now. _When I kissed her the other night… maybe she just let me because she was too busted up to resist. I have to know. _"If your scent is the same, it makes me wonder how you really _feel_." He brought an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. She looked up at him with wide eyes. He could feel her heart beating fast against his chest as he held her to him. Unable to resist the temptation any more, Kouga bent down and pressed his lips to hers.

For a moment Le was so stunned she was just being kissed, then she was kissing him back. She ran her hands up his arm and looped them around his neck pressing her body against him. Kouga's response was immediate. He parted her lips with his tongue and the kiss became passionate. She stroked the sensitive spot on the back of his neck and his hand felt its way along the curve of her ass.

Kouga burned with desire. _I knew it! It's just like it was in my domain. _In Kouga's world he had wanted her, but that lust was nothing compared to what he felt now. He wanted to just scoop her up and carry her off to a secluded spot in the forest and help her out of her kimono. His other hand slid up the front of her kimono to the swell of her breast.

Le realized that this was a bad idea. She shouldn't be kissing him again and certainly not like this. Someone could come along at any time and find them. Kuwabara would be furious. _Shouldn't be, but… _His warm body pressed against her, his hands moved slowly and deliberately. His mouth was warm and his kiss was exciting. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and her knees felt weak. As his hands caressed the curves of her body and she found herself bending to his will. _I should stop this. We shouldn't be doing this…_

But it was Kouga who drew away. He held her close staring down into her eyes breathing in long deep breaths. He knew well enough that if he didn't stop himself he _would_ take her into the woods. _And that would just present a whole new shit load of problems if I took her as a mate now wouldn't it? _It was a sobering thought. He had the survival of his pack to think of, and hard times were here to stay for demons. Le was strong, of that he was sure. It was what she was that presented the problem. He needed to re build his pack, and he wasn't even sure if she could bare him heirs. _This is no time to be thinking with your little head pal _he scolded himself. He was uneager to let her go, but he made himself do just that. He stepped back and stared at her. She looked flushed and confused and simply beautiful in the moon light.

She took a few steps backward until she was against the railing. One hand flailed for it to steady herself. The other pulled the top of her kimono closed more tightly. She looked at him wild eyed. "I… I don't think we should be doing that," she stammered.

"It was the same Le. The same way you kissed me before. You said it things were different between worlds, but that kiss was just like before."

Le was struggling to bring herself and the situation under her control. She had defiantly had too much sake. The reflection of the moon on the river looked too surreal for a minute. Le blinked still trying to organize her thoughts. "I don't know what's going on in that crazy mind of yours wolf," she began instinctively.

"My mind?" Kouga's better sense of judgment battled the drunken lust raging within him. _I can't…not her… It can't be her that I take as a mate. I'd doom us all. _"What's going on in your head woman?" it came out laced with a sarcasm the wolf had to force. "I was just testing, that's all." He cut his eyes away from her doing his best to look smug.

_The hell? Testing what- my cup size? _Le studied Kouga in the bright moon light trying to figure him out. It hit her all at once, hadn't they just been talking about wolves a few minutes ago? Something else Le knew about wolves was that they mated for life, just like the wolf demon in front of her. Kouga and Le had become fast friends _maybe too friendly_ though their friendship had a strange start. She started to question just how comfortable they had come to be around each other, how close they had become. _But no matter how great a buddy I am to have around, there's no way the leader of a pack of wolf demons… there's no way Kouga and I could ever…. _Le soon realized the best way to change the tide here was to let herself get mad. If she yelled at Kouga, then they would probably both feel a little better about backing off. Le glared at him. "Testing what? Looking for fillings or maybe you were just making sure my ass wasn't falling off!?" she took a threatening step toward him and a surprised looking Kouga took a step back.

_Oh shit, now she's pissed. _Kouga took another step backwards bringing his hands up in front of him. "Hold on a second there Le, I can explain…"

As she had hoped, her reaction seemed to startle the wolf out of his feigned smugness. _Might as well really go for it_ she was sure it was the sake talking, but hey, why not? "What the hell do you think you were doing huh? What's with you anyway? Do you think you can just kiss me whenever you want?" she took another step forward and Kouga took another step back. As she ranted at Kouga, the anger she portrayed started to feel more real. _Yeah, yell at this guy. He's an asshole just like… _She pointed a finger in Kouga's face, but it wasn't really him she was seeing anymore. "I'm you're commerade not your squeeze box! I don't know what the hell is wrong with you men." The finger curled into a fist. "You all think that you can just do as you please with any woman and that we'll just put up with your bullshit!" _You bastard…you just threw me away…I hate you _Le raised her fist. "Just because I'm a woman that doesn't make me some play thing for a man!" Le cut her furious eyes away from Kouga. _I hate you so much… Kurama. _

Kouga stared at the woman in silence. _Did I... make her that mad? _She didn't just look angry, the spirit warrior looked miserable. _No…her heart is still hurting over the fox. I guess I forgot all about him…when I reached for her. _Kouga felt compelled to say something to take her mind off of Kurama, even if it meant making her angry with him. "Well, you are a woman and you have a nice body…"

Le snapped her head up and fixed Kouga with a death glare. "What did you just say?"

Kouga folded his arms across his chest and assumed an authoritive stance. "I guess that you forget I'm surrounded by a pack of guys all the time. I can't even remember the last time I got to spend time with a woman before you started coming around. I'm not some mindless demon you know. I'm also a man. I have noticed what a fine woman you are." He reached for her then and her reaction was exactly what he had expected. Kouga didn't flinch when her hand connected hard with the side of his face.

"Don't you touch me!" it was almost a hiss. Reality set in with suddenness when her hand connected with the wolf demon's face. It wasn't him she had been yelling at, it wasn't Kouga that she had wanted to hit. Kouga had provoked her, made her hit him. _No, he just stood there and LET me hit him. _Le blinked feeling anger rush away taking the strength in her knees with it. She wavered a little, and then steadied herself before Kouga had to come to her rescue. _Okay, I get it. We shouldn't be doing this and its better this way…but why did he have to let me take my anger out on him? _

Kouga stood with his hands at his sides staring down at the spirit warrior. He was close enough so that the wind tossed her hair around him tickling his arms. It was a sensation he would have enjoyed far better if his left cheek wasn't on fire from her slap. He wanted her to look up at him, but she wouldn't. "You done beating me up now?" he asked softly.

Le could feel the lump in her throat and her stomach turned. "Yeah," she said to the bridge.

"Hey Le, I'm sorry that I…"Kouga's tone was genuinely apologetic. "I was just messin around and I took it too far." She still wouldn't face him so he switched back to sarcasm as a last resort. "I know you're madly in love with me woman, but I'm sure you can find another man. I'm just destined to be a one woman guy."

That did get a response from the spirit detective. She looked up into Kouga's eyes. "You wish I wanted you," it didn't come out sounding as sarcastic as she had hoped and the wolf demon held her gaze trapped with his own.

_Maybe that's not too far from the truth… _Kouga pushed the damming thoughts away. "So if I promise not to do that again, can we go back to being friends?" he smiled a little at her. "To tell you the truth, I think that horrible booze was stronger then I thought it was."

Le almost laughed out loud with relief. "Yeah, it was some strong shit."

Kouga took a step back away from Le. Now seemed like a good time to go. He thought a run beneath the full moon might cool his head. "Shouldn't you be getting back to the others?"

Le stared at him for a long moment. She opened her mouth to say something when she heard Kuwabara call her name. She turned her head toward the sound of his voice. He was standing at the edge of the river road, waving at her. _Did he see that? _She panicked. She cut her eyes over to Kouga. He hadn't taken his eyes off her as if still waiting for her to answer him. "Kouga…"

The wolf demon shook his head. "Don't worry, your friend just got here. He didn't see anything."

Le flushed a little feeling stupid for being worried about it. If Kuwabara saw her and Kouga acting suspicious, he would have been all over them. "Well then… goodnight." Le turned and bolted for Kuwabara. The two turned a drunken half circle and set off for the inn.

Kouga stood where he was for a moment longer watching the giant red head lead Le away. _What's wrong with me? I can't be like that with her…_Kouga sighed still feeling the sting of the slap. _It wasn't me she wanted to hit, it was that damn kitsune… but … but I guess I deserved a good smack too. I was a little out of line…_He remembered the feel of her warm mouth joined with his own and the soft curves of her body. Le hadn't resisted him, even though her strength had returned and she _could _have. Kouga shook his head. Thinking too much, especially like that could lead to trouble. Kouga turned away from the village and broke into a run.

**9**

Inuyasha and Kagome found Shippo saying good bye to the last of his new playmates. He was tired so Kagome carried him. "It looks like you had a good time tonight Shippo," she said to the sleep fox child.

"Yeah," Shippo said and yawned. "We went all over the place." His eyelids were heavy and he leaned against Kagome's shoulder. A few minutes later Shippo was asleep.

They walked on quietly for a minute and then Inuyasha offered, "I'll carry the little rodent if you want."

"It's okay, I got him. I wouldn't want to disturb him," Kagome answered with a smile.

As they made their way through the village, the hanyou couldn't help but notice the looks some of the villagers gave them. It was a look he knew well enough. Inuyasha couldn't help but remember the way people had looked at him and his mother. _These people look down on Kagome because she's with us. _Inuyasha looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Doesn't that ever bother you? The way these people look at you because you travel with demons?"

"I don't mind. It's just because they're scared. They don't know you like I do."

They reached the inn and were greeted by an elderly woman with an apple doll face. "I wasn't sure how many of ya were married so I put the ladies in a different room from the gentlemen, but I have another room if the three of you would like to stay together."

Inuyasha blinked at the old woman. "Why would we want that?"

The old lady cocked her head at the hanyou. "Well you three is a family aint ya?"

_A family?_ "No way," Inuyasha answered sounding annoyed. He took Shippo from Kagome and turned back to the old woman. "Just show us to the rooms our friends are in."

The old woman nodded and led the way. The rooms were side by side. Kagome bid goodnight to Inuyasha and the hanyou went to his own room. Miroku was already snoring. Inuyasha settled himself for the night feeling the weight of the meal and the buzz from the drink. _Kagome looked so beautiful tonight. Everybody was looking at her, but that look changed when they saw her with me. _Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes. _I'm sorry…Kagome._


End file.
